Aier-Tal had been wrong about Alysia's time of transformation. Three full days passed before it was complete, and another night for her body to rest from it.
Alysia slowly opened her eyes to a world of white feathers. The unbearable pain was now gone, with a flurry of softness in its place. She tried to sit up, and the feathers vanished from her vision, but there was still a tremendous weight on her back. She saw that she was in her room, and there was a large bat-like creature in one dark corner.
"Ah, so the Quartz Slave awakens," said the creature with more than a hint of distaste. Alysia jumped up to fight and immediately swayed on her feet. Laska reached out to grab her arm to prevent her from falling.
"It is not pleasant to fall on newly formed wings," she said simply, stepping out of the darkness. Alysia's eyes grew wide.
"Wings?"
"Yes, wings, such as the large ones now attached to you." Alysia chanced a look behind herself and saw the two pearl white wings, covered in slightly ruffled feathers. She nearly screamed.
"Don't look so surprised, Quartz Slave. Did you not expect it after feeling that excruciating pain? Or are you truly as stupid as you appear?" Laska said with an evil smirk.
"Why are you calling me that?" the black-haired girl spat angrily.
"Because it is what you are. That crystal controls every aspect of your life." It was Alysia's turn to smirk.
"You seem more than slightly loyal to Lat-Reia. You do everything it commands." Laska's eyes narrowed angrily. She wished she had her bow to silence this girl.
"I owe my life to Lat-Reia. Loyalty is the least I can give for everything it has bestowed upon me."
"Can you tell me what happened?" Alysia asked compassionately, all hatred forgotten. Laska's gaze remained cold and spiteful.
"You do not need to know." She left the room swiftly. Alysia looked at herself in the tall mirror nearby. She wore white armor similar to Laska's and silver boots. She grabbed a pale blue cloak out of the closet and fastened it over her wings, frowning slightly. It was uncomfortable. She checked to make sure she had her sword and went the castle's main chamber, finding the two crystals, Laska, and several servants of both kingdoms already there.
"Ah, you are finally awake, Alysia. I was beginning to worry about you," said Aier-Tal in a relieved tone. The crystal's protector chanced a look over at Laska, who silently mouthed the word 'slave' at her. She restrained herself.
"I am well, Aier-Tal. How have the negotiations been going?"
"Fine, fine," she said, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Though I can't say I'm very happy about this."
"Neither am I," said Alysia, again looking at Laska. "Neither am I." Aier-Tal and Lat-Reia announced that a special ceremony would be held that night in honor of the two kingdoms' union. Until then the two protectors were free to do as they pleased. Laska decided to show Alysia how to fly.
"It takes a few tries at first, but even someone like you should be able to figure it out." Laska grabbed Alysia's hand and jumped off of the watchtower, easily gliding on her wings. Alysia seemed to be doing fine, but her wings were stiff and unaccustomed to carrying her weight. The moment Laska released her, she plummeted helplessly to the ground. Laughing, Laska landed easily and helped her stand. Alysia glared up at her in annoyance.
"Why did you do that?"
"I told you it takes a few tries." Laska jumped into the air and sped away, and Alysia tried to follow, but again landed on the ground. After a few more tries her wings clumsily began flapping in an attempt to carry her into the air, but this weakened her too soon and left her lying in the dust. Laska landed beside her.
"You shouldn't try to fly straight up for the first week or so. It's much easier to learn by jumping off of something with altitude." Alysia stood up, ignoring the hand Laska offered, and wiped dirt off of her otherwise flawless face.
"You seem to have no trouble, showoff." Strangely enough, the auburn-haired girl placed a hand on Alysia's shoulder, a look of actual sympathy in her eyes.
"I have been able to fly for almost three years now. It becomes easier with time and practice. Most of all you must be patient. Or you'll leave a permanent imprint in this dirt." An unexpected smile came to Alysia's face, and this time she took Laska's outstretched hand. Together they soared into the sky. Alysia felt her wings becoming stronger, but still didn't feel ready to fly solo. Again and again they practiced simple gliding, and she could finally land on her own without doing a face plant. But she still had some trouble gaining altitude without Laska's aid.
"I don't think this is working," Alysia finally said. Laska agreed.
"We should probably go back to the castle." Laska helped Alysia up to the watchtower and jumped off alone. Alysia's knees began to shake. She felt the wind starting to blow her around, threatening to blow her off the tower. Everything changed, however, when she saw Laska turn around and smirk at her. Alysia's fear turned to competitive instinct, and she leapt off the tower. Her wings began flapping more smoothly as she tried to catch Laska. She was surprised to find that she was actually getting higher off the ground.
"You can't get away from me that easily!" she shouted. Laska looked back at her again.
"And you'll have to do better than that!" Laska took a sharp turn and dived toward the ground. Alysia followed her, kicking off of the ground to keep from falling. It worked. She started gaining on the auburn-haired girl, so Laska turned around and began flying backwards. She reached the castle and landed delicately on her feet without looking. Alysia's wings were starting to hurt, but she managed to land right in front of her.
"I knew you could do it with a little competition." A smile grew on Alysia's face.
"It's almost time for the ceremony. We'd better get ready." Laska nodded in agreement. They walked back into the castle, almost friends. But something told Laska not to trust her just yet. In fact, she had vowed only to trust Lat-Reia and Vaika. Her past dictated that clearly.
~~~~
Laska shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She was not one for fancy gatherings like banquets and ceremonies. She would have preferred to be outside riding Vaika, especially on a night with no moon, but for now had to survive wearing her favorite cloak over her wings and staring at the plain white tablecloth. She almost smirked. White. Such a pure, boring color it was. It lacked excitement and power. Power was what she lived for.
"Laska, are you okay?" whispered Alysia. Laska glanced over at her worried face and nodded once with her eyes closed.
"And now, we ask Alysia and Laska to stand and come before us." They shared a glance and pushed their chairs away from the table and stood, walking gracefully to Aier-Tal and Lat-Reia.
"Kneel," said Lat-Reia. Both of them dropped to one knee.
"Alysia, you have served as my protector for many years. I cannot thank you enough for everything you have done for me," said Aier-Tal, summoning its magic.
"My Laska, I have given you many things these past three years. I have one more gift for you," said Lat-Reia, also summoning its magic.
"You will be the protectors of Oblivion kingdom," the crystals said together. The power and light overwhelmed Laska and Alysia. When it cleared away, each had a turquoise symbol on her forehead. It was of a small circle with one wing of a bird and one of a bat.
"Alysia, the fair and fast Quartz Knight, is of the spirit of Aier-Tal, creature of light," said the white crystal.
"Laska, the smart and strong Amethyst Knight, is of the spirit of Lat-Reia, creature of darkness," said the purple crystal.
"Rise, our Crystal Angel Knights," they said together. Laska and Alysia stood together. They turned around in sync, and everyone in the room applauded. The two protectors shared a glance. Alysia smiled, but Laska could not. Though she had known something like this would happen with the kingdoms' union, she now had to trust Alysia and fight alongside her. She was not certain she could do it.